Undercover
by Liberty Cabot
Summary: after an abundance of reviews on my other fic asking for an AO pairing... i decided to do one. What happens when Alex's biggest secrets are revealed and she and Liv are forced to be separated? How will Alex feel about trusting everything she loves to Liv?
1. Chapter 1: Someone Like Me

_In The Criminal Justice System, sexually based offences are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories…_

I knew the girl was in trouble from the moment she walked in the door. She was young, probably only 15 or 16, looked scared out of her wits, and was at least six months pregnant. She stood at the door looking around… almost as if she was trying to decide whether it was safe for her to come in or not. Being the only female detective around, I got up from my desk and slowly walked over to her.

I tried my hardest not to frighten her. I smiled and asked her if she needed help. She stared at me and didn't answer. I realized that she was staring at my gun and handcuffs. Realizing that they made her nervous, I took off my holster, locked it inside my desk, and came back over.

She loosened up a little and allowed me to come closer than she had before. I asked her again if she needed help… this time, she started to cry.

I took her arm and started to lead her over to an interview room and she freaked on me. She began fighting me, trying to pull herself out of my grasp. I quickly let go of her arm and gently placed my hand on her back. I wanted to keep her as comfortable as possible, but she wouldn't have it.

I told her we were just going somewhere more private to talk, but she stood rooted where she was and wouldn't move. I asked her if I could call one of her parents and she shook her head no. I asked her what her name was but she wouldn't answer me. I pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. I assured her that I was on her side, that I wanted to help her… but she didn't seem to believe me.

She turned and began to walk away. I called out to her, begging her to give me a chance to help. She stopped walking for a moment, contemplating what to do, then turned around and slowly walked towards me.

I took her into an interview room and closed the door. I saw her jump at the sound of the door and wondered what had happened to make her so frightened. I watched as she circled the room again and again. I didn't want to rush her. I sat down and waited.

After a few minutes I asked her if I could get her something to eat or drink. She stopped circling and walked over to me. In a soft voice she said, "do you promise you won't hurt me?" I assured her that I wouldn't. She pulled out a chair and sat down, facing me. "My name is Ana" she told me, in that same soft, sweet voice.

As soon as I promised that I wasn't going to hurt her, the flood gates opened and her entire story came rushing out. Ana told me that she was a product of the foster care system. She explained that she was bounced around too many times and never stayed in one place long enough to make friends. She paused for a minute then told me that something had changed at her most recent placement. She finally found people she fit in with… the problem was, they were druggies.

Ana explained that she wanted friends so badly that she didn't mind. She started using and after awhile, she started dealing. She told me that she had been doing okay, selling low quantities to her friends and such. Basically, she was simply a transporter. She paused for a minute and asked for a cup of water. I obliged. When I returned with her water, she took a sip, then continued.

She told me that she had received a strange call one night on her cell phone from her supplier. He asked her to make a special sale the next day. He told her to come by before school to pick up the drugs and told her when and where the sale would go down. She told me the events that happened that day changed her life.

She admitted to me that she went to his place to pick up the stash and that she went through the entire school day with the drugs in her backpack. She said that after school, she was to go into the wooded area behind her school and wait for the buyer by the pond. After about ten minutes of waiting, she saw someone approaching. He gave her the agreed upon sign, gave her the money, and took the drugs. She openly wept as she told me that, when she turned to leave, she heard someone yell, "stop! Police! Put your hands behind your head and get on your knees." She told me that her heart dropped as she felt the cuffs circling around her wrists.

We'd been talking for almost an hour and a half and I still had no idea what had brought her here. I knew I needed to let her get there in her own time, so I listened and made sure she knew that I cared. She described her arrest and intake, the meetings with the lawyers, and told me that her supplier had gotten into trouble with the law and made a deal for time off of his sentence for every dealer he served the police. She was a pawn in his scheme. He set her up for a drug bust.

She told me that the lawyers fought for a long time about what to do. She was clearly guilty, but she wasn't the only one to blame. She explained that she was given a choice of punishments when she agreed to plead guilty: she could go to Juvenile Hall for a year, she could go to a Reform School until she graduated, or she could go to a Juvenile Detention Camp for a year and a half. She looked at all three options with her foster parents and they all decided that the camp looked like the best possibility.

She vividly described the long bus ride out to the camp. She told me how the cuffs on her wrists were so cold they felt like they were burning her. She explained the eerie silence on the bus and the fear she felt as she stepped off of the bus and onto the camp ground. She told me that it was arranged just like a prison: there was a warden, they slept in cells, there was fencing around the complex, and worst of all, she explained that their identities were taken away.

She told me that she was brought into the warden's office, he handed her a uniform and told her that he'd be searching her since all of the female officers were busy. She explained that she felt it was wrong but was afraid to argue with him, so she allowed him to watch her undress and inspect her naked body. She described the look on his face as he watched her get dressed again and the way it made her feel. She went into a long description of the detention camp itself and how things were run, then she finally got to the real reason she had come to me.

She told me that the warden liked young girls so much that he'd trade them time off of their sentences for sexual favors. She explained that he'd bring them to an isolation cell and wear them down to nothing then come in and offer a way out… for a price. She told me that she was so desperate to go home that she accepted his offers and that, a week after she was released, she realized that she was pregnant.

Listening to her story broke my heart. It sounded like my experience at Sealview and I wanted more than anything to help those poor girls. I drove Ana home to her foster parents' house and came back to the precinct. I knew that the Captain had been watching the interview the whole time and wanted to know what he thought. As I expected, I was told that Ana, as a convicted juvenile offender, would not be a good enough witness.

I asked what else we could do and Cragen looked deep into my eyes for a minute, as if he was studying my every thought. He said to me, "Olivia, they're looking to hire one female corrections officer as soon as possible. If you really feel strongly about this case, we can build you a cover story, one that will guarantee you will get the job.

"You want me to go undercover?" I asked. Many thoughts began to race through my head. I couldn't keep them all straight.

"It's up to you" Cragen replied. "Just know that this time, you'll be back on the side with power. You'll be safe this time… and you'll be saving all those girls from suffering what you went through.

I took a deep breath, tried to hide my shaking voice, and replied with as much determination as I could muster, "I'll do it!"


	2. Chapter 2: Surprise!

I'd been undercover at Camp Turnaround for over three weeks and had come to realize that I wasn't going to learn anything about sexual abuse of inmates as a female corrections officer. I had assumed that there would be complaints of some kind, but all the girls who were being assaulted were benefiting from it and the guards all followed a don't ask, don't tell policy.

When I ended my shift today, I got into my car and drove the two hours back to the precinct. I needed some help on this assignment. I needed a way to make the information come to me… or someone who could pass for an inmate (although I didn't really want to make someone else go through that).

16th Precinct

June 20, 2010

(Benson's POV)

When I got to the precinct, I headed straight for Cragen's office. I walked in and realized that I'd interrupted a meeting he was having with Alex. After I gave her a quick hug, I asked if I should come back later. Fortunately, they were almost done. They invited me to stay and a few minutes later, I was able to present my situation.

I realized as I said that I was looking for a detective who would pass for an inmate how ridiculous I actually sounded… then I saw a strange look pass over Alex's face. "I think I know someone who might work" she said. She left the room and Cragen and I looked at each other in utter confusion.

Alex came back into the office about 15 minutes later and asked if I could stick around for awhile. I didn't have another shift at the camp until late the next day, so I agreed to stay. While we waited for her friend to arrive, I got to hang out with all of my co-workers. Everything was just like I'd left it. I loved seeing everyone again and hearing about the victims they'd helped in the last couple of weeks.

Several hours later, Alex got a phone call… which she took privately… again. When she came back, she told us that our officer was here. A minute later, the elevator doors opened and out walked a familiar looking girl.

I recognized the platinum blonde hair and those icy blue eyes, but I'd never seen her this young before.

16th Precinct

June 20, 2010

(Cabot's POV)

"Everyone… I'd like you to meet my daughter, Liberty." I watched the looks on all my friends' faces go from confused to shocked. I knew they'd react this way, but I didn't understand how hard it would be to go through with this.

Olivia spoke first. She excused herself for a minute then led me away from the group. She told me that she was hurt that I had felt the need to keep my daughter a secret. I understood everything she was feeling. I gave her a hug and walked back over to the group with her. Before anyone else could say anything, I decided to speak up.

"I know that this has come as a shock to all of you, and I wanted to explain myself. When I was a freshman in college, I met a boy that I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. He was a senior and I felt as though I needed to 'put out' in order to keep up with him. We slept together once. He hadn't wanted to use a condom since he said it would make things less pleasurable. Since I was a virgin, I wasn't about to contradict him; I just agreed. He realized that I was a virgin later that night when he heard me crying and saw the blood-stained sheets we were laying on. He got dressed and left." I stopped for a minute to look at my friends. They were all listening. I pulled my daughter closer to me and continued.

"A month later, I missed my period. I wasn't worried, but then I missed another one. When I realized I was pregnant, I was torn. I wanted a child more than anything in the world, but I knew I wasn't ready to raise one alone. I didn't want my child to suffer because I was too selfish to give her a better life. After seven months of struggling, I decided to do the single hardest thing I've ever done. I gave up my daughter for adoption. I didn't want to abandon her, so my parents and their lawyer helped us arrange an open adoption. We picked a nice couple… who just so happened to be my aunt and uncle, and everything was under control again. I saw my little girl all the time. She knew I was her mother and I made sure that she always knew how much I loved her." I looked my daughter in her eyes. I noticed they were tearing up and I gave her a tight hug.

"A year after I graduated college, I got a call from her father. He had been arrested and he wanted my help to make bail. I was horrified that he could be so insensitive and stupid! I took my daughter and went to his trial. When he saw her, he realized what he'd done. The look on his face alone made the trip worthwhile… but as I listened to the trial, I realized just how much I enjoyed being in the courtroom. In a way, he's the only reason I became a lawyer." I looked up at Liv and realized that she was crying. Keeping one arm around Liberty's waist, I pulled Liv into my other arm and cradled them both.

"I didn't tell you anything when I first started working here because I didn't want to appear unable to handle this unit… then we became friends and I was ashamed that I had kept something so important from you… and then Liv and I, well… I was afraid of what she'd think. I told her about all of you though." I saw my daughter grin and was surprised to see everyone, even Liv, grinning back at her.

To my surprise, Liberty picked up where I left off. "After hearing about all the people you'd helped, I decided that I wanted to be a detective too. I took and passed all of my tests last week, and called my mom right away. I was so excited and I knew she would be too. She trusts all of you so much that she feels comfortable letting me work with you… that is, if that's okay with everyone…" I was surprised to see everyone nodding.

Liberty fielded a million and one questions then went off with Cragen and Liv to go discuss the investigation. Watching my daughter walking side by side with my partner brought tears to my eyes. I never thought I'd see this outside of my dreams, but it was happening right in front of my eyes.


	3. Chapter 3: Tracy Collins

16th Precinct: Cragen's Office

June 20, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

When Olivia closed the door behind us, the Captain motioned to me to sit. As I sat, I told them that if they felt at all awkward about working with me, I wouldn't be hurt. They smiled and said they couldn't wait to work with me. Olivia began telling me about the camp and the investigation. She told me that she couldn't tell me too much or I might accidentally give something away.

At this point, I felt the need to interrupt her. "I don't want to seem like I'm trying to tell you what to do or anything, but a lot of times when I'm working with people, they forget that I'm 21 and think I'm 15. I just want to make sure that you can have faith in me. I've been through training and I've worked undercover in training investigations. I'm ready for this… I promise."

Olivia smiled at me and told me that she was only trying to protect me. She said that it was important to her that nothing happen to me. I smiled and told her that there was nothing that could happen that would screw things up between her and my mom. She didn't look so sure, but she nodded and continued telling me about the case.

"We're gonna have to get you an airtight cover. You need to know that cover backwards and forwards. Let's figure this out. First, you need a name. Is there a name that will be easy for you to remember?"

I knew just the name… I just needed to figure out how to drop another bombshell on my mom's girlfriend. "Tracy Collins": Tracy because it's my daughter's name and Collins because my fiancé's name is Colin." I thought that Olivia would freak out at the thought of her girlfriend being a grandmother, but instead she smiled and asked me if I had any pictures. I pulled out my wallet and showed her my beautiful little girl and my fiancé. She smiled and complimented them as if they were her own family… and, I guess in a way, they were.

"Okay, so Tracy… we need a cover. Based on the warden's 'type' we've started to put together a cover for you. When you're ready, we're going to put out a notice that we have a runaway…" As Olivia finished telling me my story, my head was reeling. I wanted to feel confident, but I was petrified that I'd forget something.

We worked on my cover for at least a week. Olivia had left after that first night, but the Captain and some of her colleagues worked with me night and day. After awhile, I had my cover down and could come up with natural sounding answers off the cuff when someone asked me a question. The Captain told me that he thought I was ready. He snuck me out the back door and we sat in his car for awhile, just talking.

He asked me about Colin and I told him all about how we'd gone through training together and how I knew I loved him from the day we met. I told him about the day I found out I was pregnant and the first time I held Tracy in my arms. We talked for a little over an hour, and then he asked me if I was ready. I nodded. He got out of the car and told me to wait about ten minutes then begin my undercover life.

16th Precinct

June 27, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

I took a deep breath and opened the door to the precinct. I went up to the desk and cleared my throat. The officer on duty looked up and asked me if he could help me. I turned, looked at the door, and looked back at him. "I wanted to turn myself in" I said. "I cut off my ankle bracelet and I'm pretty sure that there's a warrant out for me… if there isn't now, there will be soon."

The officer looked at me for a second. He appeared very confused. He asked me my name and I whispered "Tracy Collins." He checked his computer for a second, saw the alert we'd put out (complete with my picture), stepped out from behind his desk and arrested me. I didn't fight it; I couldn't if I wanted to make sure I got credit for turning myself in.

He took me to a holding cell and asked me if I was in touch with my parents. I told him that I wasn't. He asked me if I needed a lawyer and I confirmed that I did.

An hour later, an officer, a prosecutor (that the Captain and I had met with previously) and a public defender met me in an interrogation room. They started questioning me and I quickly began to spin the tale that we'd created.

"I was on probation for selling drugs… I've been clean for eleven months now: the nine months that I was pregnant and the time since I had my daughter… and, I screwed up. I went to this party two nights ago and I had a probation appointment scheduled for tomorrow and I knew I wouldn't piss clean… I knew that if I tested positive my daughter would be taken by DSS and I would lose her and if I skipped the appointment, she'd be taken by DSS and I'd lose her. She's the best thing that ever happened to me." I took a breath. They were hanging on my every word. Not all of them looked happy, but I continued.

"I had to get her to someone safe before I got arrested again… and I had to take off my ankle bracelet to do it. I know I wasn't supposed to cut off my ankle bracelet, but I could only go five miles from my house before an alarm went off somewhere and notified the cops that I was out of bounds… and I had to get all the way there and back before I got arrested. I planned on turning myself in the whole time… and I came in as soon as I got back. I just needed to get her safe first… and I know that I need to get clean again."

As we'd planned, the prosecutor asked me if I'd be pleading guilty and I said that I would. The cop took me back to the holding cell and I waited as the lawyers debated my fate.

16th Precinct

June 27, 2010

(Cabot's POV)

I watched out the window as my daughter walked into the precinct alone. I couldn't believe I was using my daughter in a case… especially one with so much risk. I'd always wanted to keep her away from Special Victims and now, I was the reason she was here. She was here because I was selfish. I needed my girlfriend to come back home, and the sooner she finished her investigation, the sooner she'd come back.

There was nothing I could do now but do what I'd always claimed I did… I told Liv that I trusted her with my life… I'd just have to trust her with my daughter's life too.


	4. Chapter 4: Unlucky Number Seven

Courthouse

June 28, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

They came into my holding cell early this morning, cuffed me, and brought me to the courthouse. We'd already discussed what would happen at this hearing. Dr. Huang had tried to prepare me for everything that might come my way. The Captain made sure that the judge would be forced to send me to Camp Turnaround, so this whole thing was just a formality… the thing was, the judge didn't know she was just a puppet.

When I was brought in front of the judge, I was pretty calm… then the hearing began. The judge made me repeat the story that I told the arresting officers then asked to speak with my probation officer. I panicked for a minute, wondering if anyone had covered this. A man I hadn't seen before stood and walked forward from the back row of the courtroom. The judge asked him if he had a recommendation and he said that I should be taken off the streets. I waited for him to specify that I should be sent to Camp Turnaround, but he didn't. The judge thanked him and he stepped down.

The judge asked the prosecutor what her opinion was next. She stuck to the plan and suggested I be sent to Camp Turnaround. I thought things were getting back to the way they were supposed to be; when the judge stumped me again… she asked why I should be there and not in a detention center somewhere. The prosecutor replied that, since I had turned myself in and admitted that I needed help, she saw potential in me to change.

I tried to keep myself "in character" but it was hard. I was listening to a discussion about a mother who abandoned her child... and I was technically about to do the same thing. This was the job I chose. I'd be helping people, I knew I would be. I'd make a difference in this world…

… I felt a jab in my stomach and realized that I had stopped listening to the hearing. I quickly apologized to the judge and asked her to repeat what she'd said. I watched her face and realized that I'd said the wrong thing.

"I was going to give you a second chance Miss Collins, but since you don't seem to be taking this seriously… I'm sentencing you to a year at Camp Turnaround." Wow, I kinda fell into that one! I really have to pay more attention to what's going on around me. This isn't training anymore… there are no do-overs. I heard the judge utter, "juvenile authorities may now take the defendant into custody." I felt the cold metal handcuffs being wrapped around my wrists and felt myself being pulled out of the courtroom by a court officer. I was led down a flight of stairs, out a series of doors, and onto a prison bus with the "Camp Turnaround" logo on its side.

The bus-ride was one of the most uncomfortable things I'd ever been through. I was cuffed to the armrests, my ankles were shackled to each other and to the floor, there were bars on the windows, there was an armed guard sitting next to me, and all I could think about was my daughter.

I somehow managed to fall asleep on the bus. I saw my daughter's face in my dreams and thought about her and my fiancé. I already missed them both like crazy and I knew it was only going to get worse. I felt a sharp jab in my stomach and heard a sharp voice say, "Take a good look at everything around you, Collins. This is the last look you'll have of the outside world for awhile."

Camp Turnaround: Administration Building

June 28, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

Everything was exactly like Olivia and Ana had described it. There was electrified fencing surrounding the compound; this was definitely going to be harder than I'd imagined it. I was led into the administration building, still cuffed and shackled, and was told to sit down. A few minutes later, a door opened and a man came out, told me to stand, and led me into an office. He sat me down in front of a desk then took his own seat behind it. I saw a file sitting on the desk in front of him and realized it was my dummy file.

He leafed through it and I quickly saw a glimpse of my little girl… then he picked up the picture and held it away from my eyes. I hated seeing the picture in his hands. I wanted to be holding her, not straining for a glimpse of her in a photograph. "Pretty little thing you've got here" he said gruffly.

"She's not a thing. She's my daughter!" I snapped without thinking. I was wrong… this wasn't going to be hard; it was going to be nearly impossible! "I'm sorry sir" I added. "I was out of line. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"That's right" he responded, "and you won't again." He grabbed a key, walked over to me, and uncuffed my ankles and hands. He handed me a stack of clothes and told me that all of the female officers were occupied, so he'd be searching me and completing my intake. I feigned shock and quickly protested but I wasn't successful. He watched as I undressed and he told me to spread my legs apart and lean towards the wall, like I was doing a pushup. I quickly obeyed, then felt his leg come between mine and felt a sharp pain in my feet as he kicked them farther apart from each other.

As he searched me, I began to feel more and more violated and dirty. I was engaged to an amazing policeman, was a mother, and somehow felt like I was betraying both my fiancé and my daughter. The search was invasive. Although I knew that what he was doing was against the law, I couldn't do anything about it. I had to let him do whatever he was going to do in order to get the evidence we needed.

He finally allowed me to get dressed but the uniform felt rough and harsh against my skin. Whoever had washed it definitely never learned what fabric softener was. The warden looked at me for a minute and I felt as though he was staring into my soul, trying to figure out the answer to a question with no answer. "What's wrong?" I asked, instinctively.

"Nothing… you just look familiar, that's all." Familiar? How could I look familiar to him? I'd never seen him before in my life… unless… if he knew my mom, my cover would be blown!

"Really?" I replied, "it's probably just from my mugshots… after all, I've never been here before. So anyways, what do I have to do here? Make macaroni necklaces? Color in coloring books? I've done the whole juvie thing before; this'll be a nice vacation." I know I was laying it on thick, but I had to get his mind off of who I looked like.

"Alex…" I swear I heard him mutter, "she looks just like Alex." Then, as if he just remembered I was there, he shook his head quickly and responded to my sarcasm. "You'll be in Barrack B, cell 7. You will be referred to as Collins or Number 7. You will be under the command of Officer Benson Mondays through Fridays and under the command of Officer Barkley on the weekends." He handed me a book that was bigger than the dictionary and told me, "you are to read and commit these rules to memory. You will have a test on the rulebook tomorrow. If you pass, you will be permitted to join your Barrack. If you fail, you will be confined to your cell until you can pass. Do you understand?"

I gulped, "yes sir." He recuffed my wrists and led me out of the administration building and across a dirt covered field to a giant foreboding building labeled Barrack B. He swiped an access-card and entered a ten digit code onto a keypad by the door. The door opened electronically and he led me into the building. We walked past several cells and eventually reached the one labeled 7. He unlocked the cell, threw my linins onto my cot, dropped the rulebook on the floor, uncuffed my wrists, and left; slamming and locking the door behind him.

As I sat alone in my cell I began to wonder what I had gotten myself into.


	5. Chapter 5: So Many Rules, So Little Time

Camp Turnaround: Barrack B

June 28, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

I sat alone in my cell flipping through the rule book for what seemed like hours. It took me forever to get through… but then I remembered that the warden had said something about a test. I hadn't studied for a test in years, but I had to do my best. I heard a door open and heard heavy footsteps walking in time.

I saw a line of girls marching by my cell, watched them line up in front of cells, heard the screechy opening of 17 cell doors at once, then heard matching footsteps into the cells and 17 cell doors closing again. I heard footsteps walking towards me… then they stopped. I heard someone clear their throat. I looked up and saw Olivia standing at my cell door. I faintly smiled at her and waited for a response, but she just glared at me for a minute.

We stared at each other. I realized that I hadn't prepared for this. I didn't know what to say to her… how to act around her. Instinctively, I looked down and tried to avoid her gaze until I figured out what to do… but I had trouble thinking of anything. All of a sudden, I heard her voice bark, "Number 7!"

I looked up and waited for her to continue… but she didn't. I sat there stunned as I heard her repeat, "Number 7! Respond if you are listening to me!"

"Sorry ma'am" I mumbled. What did she want from my life? If they were going to expect me to be familiar with how to act, they should have given me the rule book a week ago when I started prepping to go undercover! She wasn't even giving me a chance to adjust!

"You are to pay attention when I speak. Do you understand me?" I nodded my head. "Good!" she replied. "Now, what's rule number 3?" I thought for a second. Rule number one was always to listen to the CO, rule number two was to treat all authority figures with respect… "Hurry up number seven!" rule number three was… was… damn it! I couldn't remember. "Not ready for that quiz yet; are you number seven?"

"No ma'am" I muttered… then I remembered: "rule number three is that 'every inmate must respond to their commanding officers and betters with 'yes ma'am or sir, or no ma'am or sir'… ma'am."

"Lucky save" Liv responded, chuckling. I worried a little when I heard her laughing but she quickly stopped. "You won't be so lucky next time. Study that rule book!" I nodded then remembered the rule.

"Yes ma'am" I replied. I reopened the rule book and began to study again, sprawling myself across my cot. I heard her clear her throat again. I closed the book for a second time and looked up again. She hit a button outside of my cell and I watched as the door screeched open. She stepped inside and walked over to me. I felt tiny and insignificant sitting beneath her gaze.

She whispered, "you'll be okay" and gave me a tiny hint of a smile. I wasn't quite sure if I believed her or not… but my mom trusted her, so I was going to have to. She rose her voice and continued, "Outside, you may be used to being your daughter's mama, but in here, I'm your mama… and not the kind of mama who'll comfort you and bandage your knee and kiss your booboos, but the mama who must obey. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am" I responded, averting my gaze from hers.

She reached out her hand and pinched my chin. Pulling my head up towards her, she commanded, "when you speak to me, you could at least respect me enough to look me in the eyes."

I shook my head free of her grasp, looked her dead in the eye, and repeated, "yes ma'am!" With that, she turned on her heel and walked out of my cell without so much as a goodbye.

I settled back in to study but the noise in the barracks was unbearable. The noises of seventeen girls with way too much pent up energy were driving me crazy! One was singing, three were fighting with each other, several had turned on radios… and I don't know what everyone else was doing, but they were doing it loudly. I wasn't going to be able to study until they all left again… or until they all fell asleep… and if I didn't pass the warden's test tomorrow, I wouldn't get out of my cell!

An hour or so later, I heard Olivia's voice holler, "line up ladies!" I heard seventeen cell doors screech open yet again, heard the synchronized footsteps leaving their cells and marching past my cell, and then felt the blissful comfort of silence. I opened the rule book and began to study. Awhile later, an officer came to my cell door and shoved a soggy peanut butter and jelly sandwich through the bars. She told me it was my dinner and left.

As I unwrapped my soggy dinner and looked around my dank cell, I began to wonder if I was up to snuff. These girls were all convicts, and they all were managing fine, but I (a 21 year old police detective and mother) was having trouble with the simple task of memorizing the rules.

I stayed up all night studying. I made sure that I knew every single rule in the book… in order! When I heard Olivia taking the other girls out of their cells and down to breakfast, I hoped that she'd be back quickly so that I could get this test over with. A few minutes later, I heard the door open and assumed that I'd be seeing her… instead, I looked up and saw the warden staring at me.

He began the test. At first, I was fine. He asked me to recite the first ten rules. Simple memorization; I was able to do that without exerting too much effort… then he asked me what rule number twenty-three was. I paused for a bit, running through all of the rules between ten and twenty-three. I had only gotten to number thirteen when I heard him say, "tick-tock. Tick-tock. You have fifteen seconds to tell me what rule number twenty-three is or you will fail today's test."

I knew immediately that I wasn't going to pass. I tried my hardest but the simple fact was that I wasn't ready for him to take the rules out of order… on the upside; I was getting an extra day to study. As soon as the warden left, I took the rule book back out and began to study again.

I heard Olivia come back into the barracks. She walked over to my cell and asked me if I passed. I looked down and shook my head. She opened my cell door, came over to me, gave me a quick hug, and said, "don't worry. No one passes on the first day. Try studying them out of order… but get some sleep first."

"How'd you know I was up all night?"

"I sleep here Monday night through Thursday night every week. That's how they work the schedules here. I work 24/7 during the weekdays and someone else works 24/7 on the weekends. As for how I knew you were up all night, I saw the reading light on in your cell. Don't take it too hard Collins; the system's rigged against you guys." It worried me that she was calling me Collins when we were alone, but I remembered learning about 'living in character' in the academy.

"Just worry about beating the system for now… and remember, you have a job to do."


	6. Chapter 6: Ambiguous Yet Explicit

Camp Turnaround: Barrack B

June 29, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

By the next morning, I knew every rule by heart. I'd flipped through the book and tested random numbers so many times, I was confident I'd pass. Just like the morning before, everyone left for breakfast then a few minutes later, the warden came in again. He administered the test, tried to trip me up a million and one times, then finally conceded and let me pass… he didn't look happy about it.

I thought he'd take me out of my cell, but he just left. An hour went by and a strange officer came to get me. She marched me down to the administration building and ordered me to sit in one of the chairs I had waited in for intake. After what seemed like hours, the warden came out of his office and said, "Collins, you have a phone call."

I panicked when I heard those words. I knew we were only supposed to get phone time on Sundays and only when we had good behavior points. I had just been tested on that policy an hour or two before… so what was so wrong that I was getting a call in the middle of the week? "Is it my mom? Is she okay? Is my baby girl okay? What's going on?"

"Just take the phone call before I change my mind." He held the phone towards me and shook it. I snatched it from his hand and said "hello?"

A voice answered back, "are we alone or do we have company?" No relief there… it was my mom's voice.

"The warden's here, but we have some privacy" I watched as he shot me a death glare. I took a breath and continued, "what happened mom? Is everyone okay? Is my baby girl safe?"

"React as though I'm giving you terrible news… do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand" I answered in a wavering voice. I made my eyes begin to water. I didn't know what was going on yet, but it was clear that I was going to have to pull something out of my ass.

"I told the warden that your daughter's sick, but she's okay. Make sure you act as though she's not. Do you understand me?"

"Yes" I answered again, this time allowing my voice to quiver.

"Liv texted me. She told me you passed the rule test this morning… have you been given any exams to place into classes?"

"No, not at this time. Is there anything you need me to do?" I figured that this answer was ambiguous enough to hide our true conversation from the warden but explicit enough for my mom to understand.

"You have two options. You can either take the tests and do poorly so that you're placed into classes for every subject… or you can take the tests like you took them in high school and college and place out of every subject. If you place out, the warden will give you the GED exam, and when you pass that, he'll have to find something for you to do all day. The one other girl who placed out of all her courses was Ana. She claims that he offered her a very small amount of money in exchange for her becoming his secretary or something."

"I think the second option makes more sense. Mom, will everything be okay if we take that route?" Again, I was being ambiguous to the ignorant ear but very clear to my mom.

"I think it will be. It'll get you closer to him… and faster than you would have otherwise. Honey, I want you to know how proud I am of you."

"I know… will you try to bring her up to see me soon?"

"I'll try. You have to get some good behavior points first. Liv said you won't be allowed visitors until you have ten of them. Are you okay hon?

"Yeah… I just really miss my girl… Please take good care of her for me! She's all I have."

"I love you sweetheart… and I love her. We're having some good Nana-Tracy time."

"I love you too mom. Tell her I'm praying for her." I hung up the phone and looked at the warden. He asked me what was wrong. I didn't want to make anything up about my daughter being terminally ill. I didn't want to jinx her or anything. I didn't even want to think about her being ill.

I had to separate myself from Tracy Collins. Right now, I was Tracy and her daughter Liberty was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease. I figured I could spin a believable enough story, since I was diagnosed with PKD in high school. "My daughter wasn't feeling well, so my mom took her to the hospital. They ran some tests, and she has the same kidney disease I have. I wanted them to test her at birth, but they said that it wouldn't do any good… it wouldn't have manifested itself yet. Now, we need to start treating her… and it's so early in her life. I'm just afraid that it'll progress faster than mine and that I'll lose her."

I started to cry; real tears, not fake ones. All at once, all the thoughts I'd had throughout my pregnancy set in again. I wondered if I was being selfish, trying to bring a child into this world knowing that the disease was hereditary. I wondered if she would suffer like I did. I wondered if she would think that I only had her to try to create a match for myself. I wondered if she'd be perfectly healthy or terminally ill.

The warden came closer and wrapped me in a hug. I was surprised. I didn't expect him to be so nice… then I realized that he was feeling around my back for my bra hooks. I recoiled from him, then apologized. I wanted to let him know that I was just too upset to think about anything… it would ruin the investigation if I accidentally pushed him away too much.

We sat silently for a second, staring at each other. Then, he looked at me and said, "The original reason why I had you brought here was to have you complete your placement tests… but under the circumstances… if you want to wait until tomorrow, I'd be willing to facilitate that."

"Thank you sir" I replied. I gave him a tiny smile. "Do you think…" I trailed off but he nodded to me to continue. "Do you think I could get that picture of my daughter from my file. I want to keep her near me tonight… even if it is just a picture."

"That can be arranged" he said with a smirk on his face. He walked over to his desk, opened one of the drawers, and pulled out the picture. He flashed it towards me once then said, "for a price."

"And that would be?" I tilted my head and looked at him with a quizzical yet sexual facial expression.

"24 hours of isolation. I have to provide a reason for postponing your placement exams… and I lose my tough image if I let people know it's because you're having a personal issue. So, I'll trade you the picture and the day off from tests and physical workouts if you give me a reason. It won't be so bad… I promise."

I knew I shouldn't believe him… but I needed to be his ideal girl. "Sir, I think we have a deal."


	7. Chapter 7: Are You Afraid Of The Dark?

Camp Turnaround: Barrack I

June 29, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

As the warden led me down into the basement of the Administration Building, I began to wonder if it was a good idea to accept his "deal." I'd seen the blueprints of the camp, so I knew that this was the right way to the isolation cells, but the walk there seemed so foreboding. The basement was dank and dark. There was a flickering fluorescent light that seemed to imitate lightning. It struck on when it pleased, then plunged us into darkness.

The warden stopped in front of a tall metal door. He inserted a key in the lock and opened the door. I stood outside of the cell, trying to figure out what this cell would be like, but it was too dark. He pushed me into the cell and slammed the door. It was freezing cold and I immediately started shivering. I felt around for a blanket, but I couldn't find one. I tried banging on the door but no one came.

I had to keep warm. I did pushups, situps, squats; everything I could think of that would warm me up. For awhile it did, but I was very uncomfortable. When I agreed to do the 24 hours of isolation, I didn't realize just how different the rules were. The warden claimed that I couldn't have my bra, so he took it. Now, since I had a three and a half month old baby, I was still lactating and, well… they felt very heavy. I took my shirt and tied it just underneath my breasts; attempting to make a bra for myself, then I went back to exercising.

The icy feeling was bad, but awhile later, I was introduced to a new terror. The temperature in my cell quickly rose from 30-something degrees to 90-something degrees; maybe more. I began to sweat profusely. I felt around the cell for a sink, but the water wasn't working. I thought back to training and remembered that often times when prisoners were kept in isolation, they tried to flood their cells… as a result, it was now protocol for the COs to turn off the water in the cells except for meal times; so that they could wash their hands. I couldn't see whether the toilet was clean or dirty… and I obviously wasn't going to drink from there anyways, but if I knew the water was clean, I would have splashed some of the water on my head to try to cool down my body.

For the first few minutes, I was able to lie across the metal "bed" and keep cool. I had taken the paper thin sheet off of the bed and lay directly touching the cool metal. I felt the metal start to heat up, then it began to be so hot it was unbearable. I jumped off of the bed and put the sheet back on it. I looked around my dark cell and, realizing that no one was coming into the cell any time soon, I took off my uniform and used it as a towel to mop up my sweat. I figured it was so dark that no one would see me naked, even if they did open the door.

I tried to think back to training. In one of my psych courses, we learned about psychological weakening and how it could be used to break a convict. I tried to think about any situations like the one I found myself in, but had no success. I thought that if I kept thinking like a cop, I wouldn't fall victim to whatever plan the warden was trying to carry out.

**Warning: this chapter contains sexual content that may not be appropriate for children. If you wish to skip this chapter, scroll down to the very bottom of the page and make sure you read the last paragraph. It will update you so that you can keep reading after this point. **

Camp Turnaround: Warden's Office

June 29, 2010

(Warden's POV)

I settled down into my comfortable office chair and turned on my computer. I opened the web browser, typed out a long and complicated web address, and waited for the site to load. Some people call it wrong… some call it perverted… some call it porn… but I call it a necessity of life.

I locked my office door and relaxed my body. I unzipped my pants and pressed enter. I typed in a long password that no one could ever crack. A moment later, it appeared on my screen. I was fascinated by her swollen nipples. There was no need for her to be naked; they showed quite clearly right through her shirt. She must have been cold; that was the only explanation for them to be so… visible.

I felt my heart race, my head sweat, and my excitement rise as I watched her breasts bouncing up and down, like they were performing a dance. I melted at the sight of them. After awhile, she pulled her shirt in closer to her body, which made her breasts look fuller and so much more appealing. I wanted to suck on them, taste the sweet milk that would come from them, hold them in my hands, and squeeze them.

She was an energetic little thing. Skinny as could be and very athletic. With every movement, her muscles flexed and relaxed, exciting me… and my penis. As I watched, she began to sweat and she slowly removed her garments, revealing her sexy body. The music that the website added only made it look more and more like a strip tease. I licked my lips and begged for more.

The sweat made her skin glisten and she shined like a new penny. I heard a knock at my door, quickly exited the website, and mopped the sweat off of my head. I thought about grandmas and prunes, zits and old people, raisins and poop… eventually I felt everything relax. I zipped my pants and opened the door.

**If you decided to skip the chapter, please begin reading again here:**

One of the COs handed me a message and walked out. I sank back down into my chair and thanked the genius who invented night-vision cameras and the genius who invented my website! It gave me something to look forward to while my girls were in the hole… a sneak preview of what's to come… and I couldn't believe how smokin' her body was so soon after giving birth… I had to admit it, Collins was hot!


	8. Chapter 8: Alison

Camp Turnaround: Officer's Bedroom

June 29, 2010

(Benson's POV)

I wanted to call Alex as soon as I heard what happened, but I only had a few minutes between being with the girls in class and being with them for their physical workouts. I didn't get any time to myself until the girls were all locked in their cells for the night and the first count was done. As soon as I made sure all seventeen girls were still in their cells, I went back to my room and closed the door.

I picked up my cell and called Alex. I knew she'd still be up; lights out here was at 9:00 and the first count was at 10, so it was still pretty early. The phone rang and rang but she didn't answer. I knew I had to keep trying. On my fifth try, she finally answered.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked. "I've been working a case for the last three days and this is the first nap I've had. Is Liberty okay?"

"I don't know" I answered. As much as I had wanted to tell her, it no longer seemed like something I wanted to do. I hated telling her that I lost the ability to check up on her only daughter for 24 whole hours.

"What do you mean you don't know? You're the one who's with her! Is she okay or not?" I could hear the desperation in her voice. I knew how much she wanted me to say everything was fine, but I loved her and couldn't imagine lying to her.

"She's in solitary… 24 hours. There was nothing I could do. I found out after he put her down there."

"What could she possibly have done? She's a cop. She knows that she needs to follow the rules."

"Alex, she was going to end up there at some point anyways for the investigation. At least the warden has already gone home for the night. There's a female guard checking in on her all night, but he didn't get anywhere near her. I went down and checked up on her. I told the warden I wanted a chance to discipline my inmate and he allowed me to talk to her."

"How did she sound?"

"I promise you, she sounded okay. She told me she was fine. I asked her if anyone had been inside the cell to see her and she said that no one had even spoken to her until I came down. She's okay Alex, I know she is."

"How many points does she lose for this?"

"I don't think she'll lose any. From what she told me, the warden offered to let her take her placement tests tomorrow after she told him about the bad news she received about her daughter. She told me that she agreed then asked him if she could have a picture of her daughter. He pushed her into it. He pulled out the picture, flashed it, then said she could have it for a price. She told me that she thought he wanted a sexual favor but…" I heard a crash. "Alex, hang on a minute. I've gotta go check on something. I'll call you back."

I snapped my phone shut and ran out into the Barrack. One of the girls, number 8 (Alison) had thrown her trashcan at the cell door trying to break the door down. I called for an emergency reply team. With them backing me up, I slowly entered her cell and tried to cuff her and calm her down. She struggled for awhile then finally conceded. I don't know if she was just worn out or had decided to do the right thing, but I didn't care. Once I had her under control, I tried to assess whether or not she was still a threat to herself or anyone else.

She started crying. She buried her head in my shoulder and I could feel her whole body quivering. I asked her what was wrong but she told me she couldn't tell. When I asked why, she only sobbed louder. I rubbed her back and told her everything would be okay, but I knew it probably wouldn't be.

I thought that if I kept her talking, she'd eventually tell me a small part of what was going on. After awhile, she finally told me that she'd had a nightmare. I asked her what it was about and she told me that it was the whole reason she was here. I asked her to be more specific, to tell me what was wrong. I told her I couldn't help unless I knew everything… and all I knew was that she was here for assault and battery.

She took a deep breath and all at once, her story poured out. "When I was five, my parents were killed by a drunk driver. He lived through it but was only sentenced to ten years. I always thought that was unfair. My parents were dead because of him, and he only lost ten years of his life!" She started to cry again. I gave her a tissue and waited for her to continue. "I was passed around through the foster care system like a pinball. I never stayed with anyone for more than a couple of months. The excuses varied, but they usually were along the lines of 'she just didn't listen to us', 'she had quite the little temper', 'she was violent when she was sleepwalking'… that one was always my favorite. If I was asleep, I couldn't monitor whether I was being violent or not, but the judges never cared.

"After what seemed like forever, I thought I found the perfect family. My foster dad took an immediate liking to me. My foster mom took a little longer to warm up to me, but eventually she did. I was only ten when I moved in with them. He worked days and she worked nights. We spent every night together and really bonded. I lost my parents when I was so young that I longed for the babying I deserved… so I didn't think anything of it when he helped me wash my back in the bath or when he combed my hair out after I showered… but after awhile…" She trailed off. I knew she wasn't going to hurt anyone so I uncuffed her. She looked at me with gratitude in her eyes and I knew she was ready to talk again.

"…I started to realize something was wrong. I noticed a sick smile on his face when he saw me naked. It got worse when I hit puberty and started getting a figure. The week after my first period, he told me I was ready. I asked what he meant and he said it was time for me to become a blood relative. I didn't understand but I didn't want to lose him. I finally had a family, so I did what I was told. The first night was really painful, but after that, it wasn't so bad. After a couple of months, my period disappeared. I asked my foster mom and she told me that it was normal for girls my age. The night after I told my foster mom, he came into my room and told me that we had to go to the bathroom. He made me pee on a stick. I thought he was giving me a drug test, but then he congratulated me.

I thought he was out of his mind, then he told me I was having a baby. He told me I was finally a part of the family. I was only thirteen!" She buried her head in my shoulder again and I felt my heart drop. I didn't want to hear anymore, but I knew I had to.

"I had the baby and they raised her as their own. When she turned four, I noticed a familiar pattern emerging. I had to protect her, so I hit him and hit him until he passed out. I wanted him dead, but someone called the cops, claiming that they heard someone screaming. They raced in and arrested me. No one believed me when I told them what he'd done! They wouldn't remove her from his custody either. They just arrested me and left. I can't protect her from here… and every night I see him with her. I guess the sleepwalking's back. During my nightmare, I threw a trashcan at him and kept hitting him until he bled all over the place! I didn't know I was actually throwing anything. I don't remember anything until you cuffed me. I was as afraid as you were."

I whispered that she would be okay. I stayed with her until she fell back to sleep and took the trashcan out of her room for the night. I heard her softly snoring and left her cell. I went back to my room and crawled into bed. All of a sudden I remembered Alex. I grabbed my cell and saw that I had 30 missed calls.

I immediately called her back. She sounded angry but she calmed down when I told her what happened.

"So, you were telling me what my daughter's doing in solitary."

"Right… So, she thought he was asking for a sexual favor, but he told her that he needed a reason to delay her testing, so he wanted her to agree to 24 hours of solitary. She told me that she agreed because it was in the best interest of the investigation."

"So she won't lose points because…"

"Well, firstly, she doesn't have any to lose. Secondly, she made a deal with the warden, so he won't punish her any more that she already has been."

"Okay, well thanks Liv." Alex yawned and said she was going to bed. We hung up and I thought about going to bed, but I couldn't.

I called Cragen and told him everything Alison told me and asked him to look into her case. He said that he'd do what he could. I thanked him, then finally was able to fall asleep.

Camp Turnaround: Barrack I

June 29, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

After Liv brought me my dinner (a wonderfully soggy sandwich made with mystery meat) I thought I was going to be able to fall asleep, but that wasn't in the cards for me. The temperature had finally evened out, and I was relatively comfortable for the first time all day.

As I started to nod off, I saw the lights flicker on. There was a big florescent bar of light in the ceiling. It was extremely bright, but it flickered on and off like a strobe light. I wrapped the paper thin sheet around my eyes and kept trying to sleep. I was almost asleep when loud sirens began blaring in my cell. I thought I was going crazy. I unwrapped my eyes and looked around the room. I saw a large speaker in the top left corner of the cell. It was shaking from the sheer volume of the sound blasting through it.

As I sat there crying, I realized that I wasn't going to get any sleep tonight. I did my best to tune it all out and ignore it all, but I couldn't. Nothing in training had prepared me for this. This was, as far as I knew, illegal and considered cruel and unusual punishment. I chuckled to myself as I realized that we had a new charge to add to the list of the warden's crimes.


	9. Chapter 9: Back To Fundamentals

Camp Turnaround: Barrack I

June 30, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

I knew it was morning when the light went out and the temperature changes began again. After one cycle of freezing and overheating, I saw the door open. The light that streamed into the cell hurt my eyes and it took them a minute to adjust. Once they adjusted, I was surprised to see the warden standing outside of the cell door. He told me to kneel on the cot and put my hands on my head. Silently, he entered the cell and cuffed and shackled me. He took me back up to his office and I began to wonder what was going to happen next.

Camp Turnaround: Warden's Office

June 30, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

He sat me down in a chair and walked to the other side of the desk and sat down. He opened a folder and began to sift through the pages. I realized at once that it was my file. I sat patiently and waited for him to acknowledge my existence.

"Your school records appear… incomplete" he began. "What's the last grade you actually completed?"

"Sir, last time I was locked up, they told me I was ready to take my GED. I studied for it, but never took the test. I was gonna take it this week, but…"

"I don't know what you know about the goals of this camp, but we're a school. The GED isn't good enough; it's the bare minimum. In the detention centers, they get as many kids as possible to take the GED so that they don't have to pay teachers, but we already have the teachers, so I'm going to administer some placement tests for you. We'll go from there."

"Yes sir…" I looked down at my hands and back up at him. How was I supposed to take these tests with my hands cuffed together?

"Yes, yes, I'll uncuff you in a minute. The shackles stay on." He led me over to a small table and sat me down. He threaded my shackles through a ring that was attached to the floor, "so that you don't disappear" he explained.

He handed me a thick packet and one of those sheets like you use for the SATs… the ones that the computer scores. I looked at the heading on the packet: English. This one was going to be easy. I finished the test in no time at all. When I got to the end, I cleared my throat. He came over and asked me if I had a question and seemed surprised when I said I was finished. He asked me if I needed an easier test, then he saw that I'd filled in all the bubbles.

He took that test away and gave me a new packet and answer sheet. Again I looked at the heading: Mathmatics- Algebra and Geometry. This was a little more difficult, but it was nothing compared to the calculus classes I took at college. Once I'd checked all of my answers, I cleared my throat again. Silently, the warden came over, took that test too, and gave me another one: History. History was one of my better subjects in high school. I hadn't taken any history courses in college, but I'd gotten a 5 on my AP History exam, so I figured I'd be okay. As the warden was walking away, he asked me if I spoke a foreign language. I spoke five, but I figured that would seem suspicious, so I said that I spoke Spanish.

The process continued. I'd finish one test and receive another until I'd completed a biology test, a chemistry test, a Spanish test, and completed a writing sample. The warden finished scoring them and walked over to me. He sat down in a chair on the opposite side of the table and stared at me for a minute, almost as if he was trying to get me to confess to cheating or something. With a shocked look on his face he said, "you passed every one of the tests… actually, you shattered most of them. I don't like being wrong, so I'm NOT saying you were right, but… you placed out of all of our classes.

"Great, so do I just sit around all day while everyone's in class or what?"

"I have a proposition for you: how would you like to get work experience; you know, something to put on your resume when you get out?"

"What are you offering" I asked. I was prepared to appear desperate but in the end, there was no way I was going to turn him down; I just hoped he didn't know that.

"I'm offering $10 a week that you can send home to your little girl and training as an office aid."

I looked at him as if he was crazy. "Nothing personal, sir, but $10 a week isn't enough to help her. How 'bout $10 a day?"

He pursed his lips and sighed, then without an argument, he agreed to my demands. I was shocked! I couldn't figure out what I'd done that was so important that he'd give me whatever I asked for.

Suddenly, he looked down at his watch and said, "you're five minutes late for today's physical workout. Go to the middle field. I'm sure that Officer Benson will be wondering where you are… and you might want to hurry. The longer you make her wait, the worse the punishment will be." While he spoke, he unshackled my legs and opened the door that led from his office to the fields.

I figured I was safe, since "Officer Benson" was dating my mom and all… but then I remembered that Tracy had no relationship with Officer Benson. I ran towards the fields, wondering if being in the warden's office was a good enough excuse for my tardiness.

Camp Turnaround: The Middle Field

June 30, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

I saw seventeen girls all doing jumping-jacks in synch. As I walked closer, I saw a hand go up and at once, all the girls stopped moving. I heard a voice holler, "You're late number seven!" I began to open my mouth to speak but she interrupted me, "you probably don't want to argue with me right now Collins. As of right now, I haven't decided on a punishment for you yet, but how you act during the rest of today's workout will have a large influence on my decision."

I stood there for a second blinking at her, then she said "What are you waiting for Collins, get in line." I looked at her questioningly, wondering where I was supposed to go. "Between six and eight Collins! Now, move it!" The girls stepped apart like the parting of the red seas and I managed to find my spot.

"Ladies, we're doing twenty pushups, counting them out aloud… oh, and seven, you're doing them one handed." We all began our pushups and I joined the others in counting them out. When we'd finished, Olivia was standing in front of me. I looked up at her and she said I still owed her twenty. I was confused but she gestured for me to change arms. I did and counted out twenty more one armed pushups, all alone. She looked at me with satisfaction and said "Ladies, you can all learn a thing or two from number seven! Did you all see how she took her orders and executed them without complaining? Maybe there's some hope for you after all number seven."

"Thank you ma'am" I replied, keeping my eyes trained on the ground. I heard one of the girls mutter, "yeah, that's because she's some kind of physically fit robot or something." I didn't think Olivia heard her, but then she shouted that none of us should be speaking.

"We're doing sprints Ladies…back and forth between Barrack B and the Administration Building; on my whistle..." A sharp whistle blew and we all began running. We got to the other side and a whistle blew again, and off we went. This went on for quite awhile. The other girls began to fall behind, but I kept my speed up. I knew that my body could do this for hours. My training was finally coming in handy. I felt everyone's eyes glaring at the back of my head, but I had to continue to be my best.

When the workout ended Olivia gave an order and all the girls began marching in place. I quickly realized that I was supposed to join in. After another order was given, the line began to move. I had watched this process my first day here, but now I was a part of it. With the same precision I'd seen that first day, we all marched into the Barrack and lined up in front of our cells. This time, all eighteen doors opened and we all marched inside. A few seconds later, the doors closed again and we were locked in.

Olivia walked over to my cell, pushed the button to open the door, and walked into the cell. She smiled at me and softly apologized. She told me that I would have received two points for my effort during the day's workout, but since I was late, I wouldn't be receiving them. I thought she was through, but then she continued. "You were five minutes late, so you'll have a fifty minute personal workout session with me" she chuckled and continued, "I promise it'll even wear you out!"

With that, she turned and walked out of my cell, slamming the door behind her. I heard laughter and realized that the girls were making fun of me. I began to realize just how many enemies I'd made today. I know I wasn't here to make friends, but I began to cry. Nothing had gone right since I'd gotten here! I hadn't slept in two days, and I was about to be even more worn out… plus, I would have gained a fifth of the points I needed to get a visit from my daughter.


	10. Chapter 10: And Your Point Is?

Camp Turnaround: Barrack B

July 1, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

Last night's workout was sheer hell! I thought that Olivia would take it easy on me, but she killed me instead! It was worse than anything I ever went through at the academy… and at the academy, I got to go home at night and rest my achy body in an ice cold bath. Here, I got two and a half minutes in a luke-warm shower to rinse the mud and sweat off of my body!

She put me through more in an hour than I ever thought was possible. She had an obstacle course and made me run it over and over again. She made me do pushups while she stood on my back. she made me do situps until my abs were numb… then she had me keep going! It was horrible! By the end of it, I wanted to die.

… the good news was, she gave me two points for cleaning up the shower without being asked to… and two points for not complaining during the workout… no matter how bad it got! Only 6 to go until I could see my daughter!

I dragged my achy body out of bed and joined the rest of my barrack in heading to breakfast. After breakfast, Olivia told me to head over to the administration building. When I got there, the warden's secretary told me to sit. A few minutes later he came out and ordered me to come into his office.

There was a pile of clothes sitting on his desk. I wondered what they were for, but I didn't have to wonder for very long. He asked me what size I wore and I told him. He handed me a pile of clothes and told me to change. I looked through the clothes and saw that he'd handed me what looked like a catholic schoolgirl uniform… it even had the knee socks (of course, they were made of fishnet, but still… creepy!)

I waited for him to turn around but he barked for me to hurry up. I realized that he was going to watch me change. I tried to conceal my body as best I could, but he managed to see pretty much everything anyways. He came over to me after I'd changed and stuck an ankle monitor on my leg. I asked why the change in uniform and he responded that he didn't want visitors to know that he had a convict working for him. I didn't buy that for a second, but I couldn't let him know that.

I straightened out my skirt and realized that it wasn't long enough to cover my backside. He took my hand and led me over to his desk. He showed me where the files were located and asked me if I could type. I told him that I could and he told me to get to work. It took me a minute to realize that I was supposed to type the files into the computer. It took me about ten minutes to find the program that he wanted me to use. He wasn't going to be very helpful.

I couldn't believe he was letting a prisoner see other peoples' files… then I realized that they were all files for girls who'd been released. As I typed them, I noticed a trend. There were a lot of girls who were in trouble a lot and were released really early because they had a lot of good behavior certificates. I deduced from this that these were all probable victims of the warden. I committed their names to memory and decided to tell Olivia about them as soon as possible. After awhile, I also realized that I hadn't been offered this deal yet. I wondered if the investigation was hitting a brick wall, but decided to keep good thoughts going.

When the warden came back to let me go to lunch, he seemed surprised at the amount of work I'd done. He smiled and told me I'd just earned two more points… now I only needed 4!

Camp Turnaround: Mess Hall

July 1, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

I sat at a table with the girls in my barrack. They kept shooting me evil looks. I tried to make them like me, but it was impossible… especially since we weren't allowed to speak. We sat in numerical order. We silently ate and were watched by the officers.

I felt several legs kicking mine under the table, but I didn't know who they were coming from. I tried to eat, but the food was disgusting. I realized that Olivia was standing over me, glaring at me. I picked back up my fork and continued to eat.

At the end of lunch, all of the girls got up and left… leaving their dirty dishes on the table. I quickly piled them and brought them back to the kitchen for cleaning. I didn't think anyone noticed, but when I got to the fields for the workout, Olivia nodded to me and told me I'd earned four points for taking everyone's dishes… and that everyone else had lost one. That only made them hate me more… but I couldn't help be happy. I WAS FINALLY ELIGIBLE TO SEE MY LITTLE GIRL!

Camp Turnaround: Barrack B

July 1, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

I could hardly sleep! Olivia told me that she'd spoken to my mom, and that she'd agreed to come see me… and bring my daughter tomorrow! I made sure not to do anything wrong all night. I didn't want to risk losing my visit. I knew that Olivia had been lenient with me, trying to help me get points, but I also knew that it would look suspicious if I did something wrong and wasn't punished for it.

During the brief stints when I was able to sleep, I dreamt of my little girl and the fiancé I had waiting for me at home. I thought about the way he'd taken her in as his own, even though she wasn't his. I couldn't believe how everything had worked out.

I had been on my first case when it all started. Colin and I had been casually dating since the Academy, but we were surprised to be working our first case together. It was a narcotics case. It was supposed to be a simple setup. I was supposed to call him, set up a deal, and go to pick them up. What no one knew was that he was a complete pervert. He didn't want money for the drugs; he wanted sex… and when I said no, he raped me.

I'd been through it all and my mom never knew. I couldn't tell her. It took me a long time to tell Colin too… in fact, he kinda figured it out when I went into labor 7 months after the first time we… well, anyways I loved how quickly he embraced her.

I dreamt of her the entire night. I couldn't wait to see her! I'd been so afraid when she was born that I'd hate her… that I'd see my rapist in her, but she was my daughter and I loved her from the moment I laid eyes on her.


	11. Chapter 11: A Face From The Past

Camp Turnaround: Administration Building

July 2, 2010

(Cabot's POV)

I drove the two hours to get to the camp, parked the car, grabbed Tracy from her car seat, and headed into the administration building. I told the secretary that I was here to see Tracy Collins. She told me to take a seat. A few minutes later, the door to the warden's office opened and a face I never thought I'd see again walked out.

"Charlie?" I was utterly shocked! What was he doing here?

"Alex?" he replied… ok, so he remembered me. "My name's not Charlie anymore… it's Joe."

"You changed your name? Why'd you do that?"

"Well… I sort of had trouble getting a job after… well, let's not talk about that."

"No, let's talk about it. How'd a sex offender get a job as a warden in a girls' correctional facility? Better yet, did you steal your name or did you actually try doing something legally for a change?"

"I legally changed it… however, somehow my record was 'lost' in the confusion. I was able to get a job and a new identity all at the same time… So, how've you been? And what are you doing here?"

"Oh, well… I'm with social services. I came to observe how Tracy Collins acts with her daughter. I need to see if she has to participate in parenting classes here or not."

"Oh, good. So the baby's not yours!"

"No… mine was taken from me!"

"Alex, I'm sorry. I was stupid back then… maybe we should try to… you know… date again." I couldn't believe he was even trying this! He's insane if he thinks I'd ever give him a chance again!

"I've got a job to do, so if you don't mind… I need a private visiting room so I can observe their relationship."

"Sorry… but she only has 10 points. She needs 20 in order to hold her daughter. She only has 10… enough for a visit but…"

"Think about it Charlie" He interrupted me, telling me to call him Joe… "Charlie, do you really want me to come back again?"

He quickly led me out a door and down to one of the visitation rooms. He left me there and a few minutes later, he returned with my daughter. When she saw me her eyes lit up. "Ms. Collins, I'm Alexandra Cabot. I'm here from Children's Services. It's my job to determine whether you'll be ready to take care of your daughter again when you get out of here, or if you need to graduate from a parenting class first."

Camp Turnaround: Administration Building

July 2, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

I quickly began to understand her game. I nodded and stepped closer. I held out my hands and asked the warden to uncuff my arms. Reluctantly he did. I went over and picked up my baby girl from her carrier. I immediately started to cry. I held her tight and rocked her back and forth in my arms.

The warden looked at my mom and she nodded her head towards the door. He told us we had an hour and left. That hour was the best I'd had since I got to the camp. There were three generations of my family sitting together in one room. I told my mom what I'd discovered the day before in the warden's records and she told me how Tracy had been behaving.

I told her I was confused… "I thought Tracy was with Colin… what happened? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. Don't worry about anything. One of Colin's cases really took off and he needed to spend more time on it. We're having some great bonding time together though… just Tracy and nana."

My mom told me that she was gonna try to get me weekly visits with Tracy. That thought made my spirits soar. I was so excited! Now I had something to look forward to every week!

I cherished every minute of my visit… but it went by so quickly. The warden came in and told me it was time for my barrack's physical workout. He barely gave me enough time to kiss my little girl on the forehead before he walked me out to the fields.

Camp Turnaround: Administration Building

July 2, 2010

(Cabot's POV)

When Charlie came back, I told him that I wanted to speak with Tracy's commanding officer. He told me that it wouldn't be possible. Again, I threatened to come back if he didn't let me speak with her. He quickly consented, but told me that I'd have to wait an hour until she was through leading her barrack's workout session. He told me that from 4pm-6, the barrack had a "structured break" where they returned to their cells and the officer has some time to relax. He said that I could meet with her privately in her office/room at that time.

I thanked him and told him that I was going to leave the baby in Tracy's cell. He vehemently objected, but I told him that it was my decision. I explained that he may be in charge of his prisoners, but I was in charge of the child's welfare and if I determined it was safe for them to have some alone time… that was my decision. He finally consented… or at least said that he couldn't stop me.

I offered to spend the hour until I could speak with Olivia in the waiting area, but I think he wanted to get rid of me. He told me that I could go outside and watch Tracy's behavior during the workout session, as long as I was discrete. I quickly agreed and followed him out the door and onto the field.

Camp Turnaround: Open Fields

July 2, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

I was running sprints with the rest of the girls in my barrack when I saw a flash of blonde hair. I looked up, stopped dead in my tracks, and grinned. She hadn't left yet! She was still here! I stood there stunned, then began to move again when I heard Olivia screaming my number and telling me to stop slacking off.

I began running again, but my mind was focused 100% on my mom and daughter. Olivia made me do extra sprints to make up for my little break, but it was totally worth it. I saw her walk over to my mom and tried to figure out what they were saying, but I couldn't risk getting in trouble for stopping again. I kept running and by the time I was done, I realized that they were already finished talking.

At the end of the workout, when we all lined up to go back to our cells, I watched as my mom went to the back of the line and followed us into the Barrack. I walked into my cell and felt a pang of guilt as the door closed behind me and my daughter was on the other side of the bars. A minute later, my cell door opened again and my daughter was thrust into my arms. I sat and played with her as I watched Olivia and my mom disappear into her bedroom; the one place in the Barrack where I knew there were no cameras.

Camp Turnaround: Officer's Room

July 2, 2010

(Cabot's POV)

As soon as Liv closed the door, she wrapped me in a tight embrace. I kissed her softly and whispered sweet nothings in her ear. I'd missed her so much, but we needed to talk business too. I was torn between ignoring my responsibilities and ignoring my heart. I knew what I had to do. I had to take care of the business first. We sat on her bed and I felt my heart start to race. We kissed again and I was surprised to feel myself pull away.

"I love you" Liv whispered in my ear. The warm air from her mouth warmed my heart and I rethought my decision to put off our relationship until we were finished talking.

"I love you too" I whispered… "but I don't know how long we have, and I think we need to talk first… especially since I'll see you this weekend; right?"

"Of course" she whispered. "You're right." She sighed… I knew exactly how she felt.

"Liv, I found out several interesting things today. The most important is that Joe's not who he says he is… His name is Charlie. He's…" I trailed off. I wanted to shove the words back into my mouth. I tried, but no matter how much I wanted them to go back down, they forced their way out. "He's Liberty's father… and he's a sex offender."

"So, is that all the proof we need?" Liv asked, hopefully. I hated to disappoint her, but I had to tell her the truth.

"I'm afraid not. He claims that his record got "lost in the confusion" when he changed his name… and, he's served his time for his crimes. We can't arrest him based on past behavior. We need more… but I hate leaving Liberty with him so close."

Liv wrapped me in a hug and rubbed my back. I cried on her shoulder for a minute. She hushed me and told me that I was going to have to trust her. I responded that I trusted her with my life. She kissed me again and told me to stay strong.

Once I got through that, the rest was pretty easy. I told Liv about the records Liberty had seen and told her I'd make sure that there was a thorough investigation into their releases and their time at the camp.

Once the business was out of the way, we were free to continue where we left off. It was pure bliss, but it didn't last long. All of a sudden, there was screaming and fighting in the Barrack. We raced out of Liv's room and were shocked at the discussion we heard.

Camp Turnaround: Barrack B

July 2, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

I was minding my own business and playing with my daughter when I heard the volume in the Barrack start to rise dramatically. I heard at least four girls who were loudly complaining that I got to spend time alone with my daughter. The rest of the girls chimed in as well, even though it didn't affect them at all. None of them were mothers (as far as I knew). They were just taking every opportunity they could to bust my balls.

The girl in the cell next to me, number 8, was the most vocal. She started screaming that it wasn't fair that she hadn't seen her daughter in months and I'd seen my daughter twice in one day. All of a sudden, it was as if I couldn't control myself anymore. I had to stand up for myself. I had taken everyone's crap since I'd gotten here and I couldn't take it anymore.

"Obviously whoever got stuck with your daughter thinks she's better off without you" I screamed. "You obviously have a temper! Not the best thing to be teaching your daughter!"

"Oh really?" she retorted, "And you think that having your daughter sitting in a cell is a good thing? You're a drug addict and selfish as hell. Did you even think about your daughter before you abandoned her?"

That was the last straw! I couldn't take it anymore! "I felt horrible about what I had to do… but I left her to make sure that I got help so that I could raise her right! DID YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR DAUGHTER WHEN YOU ABANDONED HER?" I was screaming so loudly that Tracy began screeching and crying. I picked her up and rocked her.

All at once, I saw Olivia and my mom racing to my cell. My cell door opened and I stood in shock as my mother ripped my daughter out of my arms. I felt tears welling up in my eyes and thought about quitting, but I knew that I couldn't. Olivia began screaming, both at me and the girl I was fighting with.

"Numbers seven and eight! IF YOU DON'T STOP YOUR ARGUING RIGHT NOW, YOU WILL BE SEVERELY PUNISHED! Seven, you will lose all visiting privileges… and eight… well, I'll figure something out! NOW, EVERYONE GO BACK TO MINDING YOUR OWN BUSINESS! THE NEXT PERSON WHO SPEAKS WILL BE SENT TO ISOLATION FOR 24 HOURS!"

A hush fell over the Barrack and I watched, sobbing, as Olivia showed my mom and daughter out of the Barrack without so much as a goodbye.


	12. Chapter 12: Bait

Camp Turnaround: Captain's Room

July 2, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

Olivia came to my cell and told me she was taking me to her office for a private chat. I got really scared. I wasn't sure what had gone on, but I was pretty sure I was in trouble. She cuffed and shackled me and led me into her room. I heard laughter as I was led by the other cells; I averted my eyes and tried to make myself as small as possible. When we got into her room, Olivia slammed the door.

I backed up against one of the walls, trying to stay as far away from her as possible. Slowly, her facial expression began to change. She went from looking incredibly scary to looking at me in a motherly way. I slowly took a few steps towards her. She nodded for me to sit down on the bed. After I sat, she joined me. As she came closer, my body tensed… then she took off the cuffs.

She told me that I'd done well. I was confused. I'd just screamed at one of the other girls and accused her of being a terrible mother. How was that a good thing?

She told me that Alison was a rape victim and that her daughter was in her rapist's custody. I asked why she didn't do something and she gradually told me Alison's whole story… then she asked me to do something I didn't understand.

She asked me to bait Alison into another fight. At first, I told her there was no way in hell that I was going to risk my visits with my daughter, but then she told me there was another option. She claimed that if we got into another fight, she would recommend that we be placed in an isolation cell together until we could "work out our differences."

I asked why she thought this would help and she told me that it would be the easiest way to get the whole story out of her. I asked her if she thought Alison was lying and she said that she didn't… but she also said that she thought there was more to the story… and that she thought someone was still abusing Alison.

I asked how putting us in ISO together would help and she claimed that "when two people are forced to spend time alone with each other in a small, dark cell… they're bound to eventually talk to each other and spill all of their secrets. I explained that this might cause a problem, but she told me that my training would help me. I'd only spill my cover's secrets. My own were stored in a separate area of the brain and wouldn't come out as long as I stayed in the mindset of being Tracy Collins.

I asked if it would be the same cell I was in before, and she said no. She explained that there was a cell for this exact purpose… or at least for the purpose that we were going to create. Once she told me that the cell wasn't equipped the same as the other ISO cells were, I felt a little better about the whole thing.

I didn't want to, but I agreed to Olivia's plan; after making her promise that I wouldn't lose my visits with my daughter.

Camp Turnaround: Administration Building

July 2, 2010

(Cabot's POV)

I went back to the warden's office for a minute. I told him that I didn't think Tracy needed parenting classes, just that she needed some supervised visits. He objected at first but let up a little when I told him that I only did assessments and that I'd be sending someone else up with the baby each week. He begrudgingly agreed to the weekly visits, made one last attempt to pick me up again, then escorted me out.

At least I knew our secret was safe. I'd made Liv promise not to tell Liberty who he really was… or anyone for that matter…

And I kept the secret safe from him too. Claiming that my baby had been taken away from me was a great touch. It left him no reason to suspect Liberty of being mine.

He watched as I strapped the real Tracy into her baby seat and asked me one last time if we could go out to dinner. I replied, "sorry, but I still haven't gotten over what Charlie did to me… Oh, and I have a girl-friend."

"Wait," he said laughing, "did you date any guys after me? Oh my goodness, did I turn you gay?"

"A) that's not something to be proud of… and B) don't flatter yourself. I was always into girls… I just dated you because it seemed like the popular thing to do; and I really wanted to make friends up at school." With that, I slammed the car door and drove off, leaving the father of my daughter in the dust… for good!


	13. Author's Note: PLEASE READ

Author's Note:

Hi everyone,

I wanted to apologize for leaving you all with such a cliff-hanger for such a long time. Like Liberty (aka Tracy) I also suffer from PKD as well as several other health conditions. I've been battling some health demons of my own lately and will be back up and writing with the next chapter soon (hopefully tomorrow). Please don't lose interest. I know I was updating daily and this is just a minor bump in the road. I've been writing in my head for days, I just haven't been up to typing it all out.

Thanks for being loyal readers!

~RPG


	14. Chapter 14: Bodacious Beauties

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I'm so sorry it took me so long to write again… I was really sick, then college got crazy… posts should be coming out rapidly now!

Camp Turnaround: Warden's Office

July 2, 2010

(Warden's POV)

I sat at my desk looking back and forth from Alex's visitor's ID picture to Collins' mug shot. I felt like I was staring at the same person. I wondered if I was obsessed with Collins because she reminded me of Alex… but it couldn't be. I'd gotten Alex; Collins was my challenge.

For a brief moment I thought about Alex's daughter, but I quickly dismissed the idea. She told me she'd lost her child… and I was pretty sure she would have come to me for money years ago if she had kept her. I was just over-thinking things. Seeing Alex brought up so many feelings in me… there was no way I could be controlling my thoughts. Alex was a demon from my past… but she was more than that. She was also the angel from my past, the girl that got away, the only one who really mattered to me.

I chuckled for a minute as I thought about what Freud would have said about my life. He probably would have said that I do everything I do with these girls because I was looking for a replacement for Alex… what did he know? Freud was a lunatic!

…This is how out of it I was! I was thinking about Freud for crying out loud! What's worse, I was thinking about FREUD when I had an entire camp full of bodacious beauties!

I heard someone clearing their throat and quickly looked up. I saw Colin Armstrong, my newest CO, crossing into my office and quickly towards my desk. I caught him peeking at Collins' mug and was shocked at what else I saw… that asswipe was getting off on my newest conquest! He had no right… and I was going to make sure I ruined it for him! I told him he was being transferred to security in Barrack B. He blushed… this was going to be easier than I thought! He'd be forced to do things that would make Collins hate him… meanwhile, I'd be making her life seem perfect! It was the perfect plan.


	15. Chapter 15: A Multifaceted Plan

Camp Turnaround: Barrack B

July 2, 2010… or maybe July 3… I didn't have a clock

(Liberty's POV)

I spent most of the night tossing and turning, trying to figure out a way to bait Alison into another fight… but I felt so bad. I knew that I was playing a part… but it felt too real. I hated having to do this! I felt as though I was single-handedly trying to hurt her. Finally, I had a plan in mind.

"Alison" I cried in a horror-like voice. "Mommy" I continued, making my voice shrill and childlike. "How could you leave me with him? Why didn't you save me? Mommy…" I trailed off and waited for a response. I heard movement coming from Alison's cell. I heard her pacing back and forth, as though she was trying to determine where the voice was coming from. Finally, I heard her stop moving. I continued: "Mommy, how could you? I thought you loved me. Do you even care what's happening to me?" I would have kept going, but Alison's screams cut me off.

"I'm going to kill you Collins!" she cried out. She began banging on her cell door and causing a huge scene. This was exactly what I had hoped wouldn't happen, but I knew it was all fitting into Liv's plan. I heard an alarm being sounded and an announcement being made for all inmates to stay in their beds. I silently watched as my cell door was opened, and waited to see what was going to happen. I obeyed the orders I was given to lie face down on my cot with my hands behind my head. Before I knew what was happening, someone was on top of me, cuffing my arms behind my back and shackling my ankles. I felt myself being pulled up onto my feet and being yanked towards my cell door. I looked over my shoulder and was astounded by the face that I saw behind me.

He was my soul mate, but his face was stoic as though he'd never seen me before. This must have been the case he was working on. My fiancé had just handcuffed me, but not in a way I'd ever thought he might… what's worse, he was treating me like a criminal instead of like the woman he was going to marry! As I was led out of my cell, I saw Liv leading a cuffed and shackled Alison out of her cell as well.

Isolation Cell

July 5, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

Alison and I spent 3 days locked up together. In that time, she and I told each other everything. I told her all about me… the real me… and she told me everything she could about her life. She told me that she sent weekly letters to her foster mother and brother, and that to make sure the letters got there intact, she and her brother wrote in a code. She explained to me that the first letter she got back from her brother told her that her letter had been torn apart by someone at the camp and that she should write anything important in their special code. From then on, she did.

She told me that she wrote home about everything that happened at the camp. She explained that she was keeping a detailed account of everything and her brother was transcribing her story to try to build a case to get her released on a violation of her constitutional rights against cruel and unusual punishment. She also told me that her mother had written in the last letter that she was coming to visit, and that her brother had added in the code that he'd be coming as well. She began to cry as she told me that they were supposed to be there on the 3rd and that she was terrified that something had happened to them. I tried to soothe her but it wasn't worth my time.

A few hours after she finished telling me her story, the cell door opened and two police officers came in and took Alison out of the cell. I overheard them telling her that her mother had been murdered. I had to make up for what I'd done to Alison… and I easily figured out how to do it.

I needed to get in touch with Liv, and it needed to be fast. I immediately started moaning as though I was in horrible pain. I was clutching my back and crying by the time the Warden reached my cell. He quickly called 911 and soon EMTs were loading me into an ambulance and telling me not to worry. As my Barrack's CO, Liv came along for the ride. When we were safely in the back of the ambulance, alone with just the EMT to deal with, I confessed that I'd been faking it in order to talk to her. In the short ambulance ride, I told Liv what had happened and that she needed to change my files so that they read that I was one of Alison's mom's foster children. She was hesitant at first, but then she caved when I said that I needed to get a hold of Alison's brother's files and that the murderer might just show up at the funeral. Liv made the necessary calls and a few hours after I'd been checked into the hospital for kidney function tests, the same two cops knocked on my door and came in.

They apologized for the "shock" they were about to cause me, then they told me that my foster mother was dead. They questioned why Alison and I had pretended not to know each other, and I claimed that it was the only way for us to be alone together. They didn't ask questions… they figured I was mourning. They told me that they were making arrangements for Alison and I to be brought to the funeral, and that they hoped I felt better soon… then they left. When the doctor came in, I told him that a cyst must have popped and that I was starting to feel better. After running a battery of tests on me, they concluded that I was correct and they set about releasing me from the hospital.

My plan was in motion… and I had a clean bill of health… sort of…


	16. Chapter 16: Do You Trust Me?

Cabot's Office

July 6, 2010

(Cabot's POV)

This case was getting harder and harder. Not only was I away from Liv, but my daughter was locked up away from me and her daughter. Furthermore, I kept having to change details in "Tracy's" background. Now, she'd cut off her bracelet to bring her daughter to her foster mother; Alison's foster mother. I was so far stuck in the details of this case that I was going out of my mind.

I missed Liv with all my heart and I knew that since she'd be escorting the girls to the funeral, we wouldn't see each other for awhile. My heart ached with disappointment and despair at the thought of going so long without seeing her. I needed some alone time with her, and I needed it right away!

I hesitated for a minute, then picked up my phone. I took a deep breath then dialed.

"Hello" a familiar voice answered. The voice sent chills up my back and made me pause for a moment. "Hello" the voice asked again.

"Yes, this is Alexandra Cabot, a DSS officer in charge of one of your inmates' children. May I please speak with the warden?"

"Alex, it's me" he answered. I knew it had been, but I had to stay in character and part of my character was that he meant nothing to me!

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize" I replied. "Anyhow, I just got the news that Tracy's foster mother had passed on and that she'd be going on a short trip to the funeral. I assume she would like to see her daughter in this trying time.

"I might be able to make that work… for a price" he replied.

"That's not going to work on me Charlie! I'm bringing her daughter over today. The other girls in her barrack will be in classes, so it gives me just the right amount of time for them to have a visit.

"And just why do you think I'll agree to this?"

"Because I never pressed charges against you for RAPE!" I cried. "You're going to find a place for them to visit that's non-threatening and homey, and I'll be there in an hour!"

"The only place like the one you described is the Barrack officer's bedroom… she'd have to agree and she'd have to remain inside throughout the visit, since that's the only place that we don't have security cameras… not that I don't trust you, but I don't trust Collins. She's been in isolation twice since she's been here. I'm protecting you and her baby"

"Whatever" I replied. "just have her ready for a visit. I don't want to end up getting there and being told some cock and bull story about how she wasn't able to have visitors!" I slammed the phone down without so much as a goodbye and got up from my desk. I put myself together, did a quick once over, and loaded Tracy into the car to go visit her mommy… and while they were visiting… I was going to get to spend some personal time with my perfect girlfriend.

The Entrance to Camp Turnaround/

Barrack B

July 6, 2010

(Cabot's POV)

I took Tracy out of the car and raced through the entrance. A guard stopped me at the front desk and told me to wait there. A minute later, Charlie came out.

"What are you doing here?" I asked with disdain.

"Well, since you are going to be visiting an inmate in a room with no cameras, both you and the baby need to be searched… and since we have a history…"

"NO!" I cried. "You've seen enough of me! Get a woman and get lost or let me do my job."

"I'll let you do your job if you let me do mine" he replied. Sighing, I followed him into a small room and allowed him to search me. I drew the line at him searching my granddaughter though. I picked her up, allowed him to examine the baby carrier and pat her down, but beyond that, she was not to be touched. I felt dirty enough for the both of us. Finally, he let me redress and led me down to Barrack B.

He opened the door and let me in. He brought my granddaughter and I into Liv's bedroom and closed the door. A minute later, he returned with Liv and my daughter. He notified us that they had an hour and a half and not a minute more, then he left.

Liv's eyes caught mine as Liberty picked up Tracy and began to rock her back and forth. It was like we were in another dimension. Our gaze was unbreakable and our love was unmistakable. Sensing what was going on, Liberty took Tracy over to the corner of the room and sat in Liv's desk chair, turning it to face the wall. Realizing that she was giving us privacy, Liv and I walked towards each other. We stood still, staring at one another for a minute, then slowly leaned in simultaneously for a tender kiss. Her lips lingered on mine for a brief minute, then she pulled away. I looked to her, concern filling my gaze, but she told me everything was fine. She claimed to be worried that we'd be caught by the warden and that everything would be ruined.

I walked over to the door, locked it, and said, "oops, I guess he'll have to knock." Liv looked at the door and remembered that there was no keyhole on the outside. She'd explained to me that it was for her own safety, so that none of the inmates picked the lock. In this case, it saved our romantic hour and a half. I walked towards her and she swept me off my feet and onto her bed. The two of us became one as we tried to make every moment last forever. I felt like such a bad mother, making love in the same room as my daughter and granddaughter, but she'd turned around… that was an invitation, right?

The hour and a half went by all too quickly. Liv and I had shared one last kiss and then quickly made the room… and ourselves… presentable. I unlocked the door and not a minute later, Charlie knocked on the door and let himself in. He ordered me to take the baby and he cuffed my daughter and waltzed her right out of the room without allowing her so much as a goodbye. Liv and I shared one last look. She whispered that she'd take care of my daughter. Then she asked me if I trusted her. Without hesitating, I answered "with my life."


	17. Chapter 17: Too Many To Count

Isolation Cell

July 6, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

I couldn't believe I had asked to go back into the isolation cell, but I needed to talk to Alison now more than ever. When I walked back into the cell, she wrapped me in a hug. A corrections officer, one CO Warren, uncuffed me, looked directly at Alison, and slammed the door.

I walked over to my cot and sat down. Alison turned, looked at me, and said: "so I hear we're sisters." We both laughed, only for a second though… then we remembered why we were there. I told Alison that I needed to know EVERYTHING, so she started at the beginning.

"My brother Steve and I were finally reunited at the Rose's. We hadn't seen each other since our parents died. He was 10 years old at the time and didn't get a foster home as quickly as I did… but I was tormented by their death, while he had grown to accept it. He knew what our foster father was doing to me, but I begged him not to make a fuss; I didn't want to lose him again. When I got pregnant, he was there for me, even though he was 18 and didn't need to be. When my daughter Pam was born, he took to her immediately. He went to college near home, but he left for graduate school when Pam was 4. Almost immediately after Steve left, our foster father began abusing my Pammy. Within two weeks, I'd been arrested and I'd lost my daughter."

She stopped to gather her thoughts, then continued. I had tons of questions, but I didn't want to interrupt her. "Our foster mother moved out a month later, but she never defended me in court. Steve moved back home to take care of her. He's the one who visits my daughter. He keeps her as safe as he can, and makes sure she never forgets who mommy is. I'm most worried about Steve right now. The police didn't say anything about finding him, so I didn't ask. I don't know where he is. He was definitely coming with our mother… I just wish I knew where he was."

I wrapped her in a hug and wiped the tears from her eyes. Soon after, I heard the cell door open. I was still on the cot with her. We looked up and saw CO Warren standing in the doorway. I heard Alison quietly sigh. He motioned to me to move to my cot, then he warned me that if I told anyone about what was going to be going on, I'd regret it. I watched as he slowly started to remove her uniform. I saw the tears running down Alison's cheeks and felt a pang of guilt. By the time he had gotten her undressed and was beginning to undress himself, I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't watch as he abused her. Without thinking, I yelled "stop!" To my surprise he turned to look at me… or rather glare at me. My fingers reached up towards the top button on my uniform and I slowly unbuttoned it. "Take me instead. I have a daughter… I can handle it."

He slowly got off of her and moved towards my cot. I saw the look of relief in her eyes. As he came over to me, I reached for my uniform top again, but he told me not to. He sat on my cot and gently removed my clothes. I felt dirty as he climbed on top of me and began feeling me up. I closed my eyes and pretended he was Colin. I took a deep breath and allowed him to come inside me. I silently prayed that I wouldn't get pregnant again. I love my daughter, but a second rape baby might just push Colin to the limit. All at once, my emotions let loose. I silently began to cry and when he worked his tongue into my mouth, I accidentally bit it. He slapped me and pulled out, saying that it had lost its appeal. As he redressed, he reminded both of us not to breathe a word of what had happened to anyone. He grabbed by hair and pulled me up by the head. He slapped me one more time then swiftly left the cell, slamming the door behind him. Alison raced over to my cot, not a long run since the cell was so small, and wrapped me in her arms.

"How many times?" I asked her.

"Too many to count" she replied with tears in her eyes.

Warden's Office

July 7, 2010

(Benson's POV)

The Warden called me in to discuss my request to escort my two inmates to their mother's funeral. He went over basic procedures with me regarding prisoner transport and cross state laws. We'd made sure that the funeral would be in Massachusetts, Mrs. Rose's hometown. After he'd finished educating me, he dropped a bomb on me. He told me he was required to send a second officer with me. I felt my heart begin to race, then there was a knock at the door.

"CO Armstrong" the Warden called, "Is that you?"

"Yes Sir" Colin answered. My heart slowed. He was given permission to enter and he quickly did. He took a seat beside me and I heard the Warden formally introduce us to one another. He explained that the only way for me to escort the girls was to have a strong man by my side… then he continued that Armstrong was the only one he could send. I had to stifle my laughter as I saw Colin's demeanor go from haughty to embarrassed.

Surprisingly, since the girls were juveniles, we had been able to secure a motel room for the duration of our stay in MA. We were told that the girls would have to wear ankle bracelets, be cuffed and shackled whenever they were in transport or out of the motel room, and that they'd have to remain cuffed to something in the room by at least one wrist at all times. Furthermore, one of us would have to remain outside to prevent them from escaping (Colin) and one of us would have to remain inside to monitor everything they did.

We were given the next two days off to get some rest and were told we'd be leaving on the 10th.


	18. Chapter 18: As Long As I'm Here With You

16th Precinct

July 9, 2010

(Benson's POV)

As soon as the Warden sent us home, Colin went home to his daughter and I went to the precinct. I put out a missing persons report on Steven Rose and went to the crib to take a nap. A few hours later, I woke up and checked my messages. No one had found him yet, but it was still early. I had a feeling he was hiding somewhere from the murderer and would reappear when he found out when the funeral was. We released an obituary along with the funeral information in every major newspaper covering the tri-state area. We also left a number for next of kin to call to get details.

I spent the next two days with Alex. We were together as much as possible. I knew I needed to get some rest, but being with her was just as important. She made me feel whole again. I'd been playing a role for too long, and I needed to just be me for awhile. I loved the way she made me feel. She made me feel like I was indestructible and perfect in every way.

It wasn't all fun and games. We did a surface investigation into Mrs. Rose's murder, but didn't get very far. I also went through every possible thing that could happen in the next couple of days. Having Alex with me helped, but I really didn't know what we were getting into. Liberty seemed convinced that the murderer would show up at the funeral… and that scared me slightly. It wasn't like I hadn't faced murderers before; I just hadn't done it while being undercover. Plus, both Liberty and Alison were convinced that the murderer was someone from Camp Turnaround.

A loud ring interrupted my daydreaming. I realized it was my desk phone.

"Detective Benson" I answered. I knew that it wasn't anyone from the camp because my calls were being screened, so I was safe to answer in that way.

"Detective, this is Officer Hays from the Boston Police Department. I was calling in response to your missing persons report."

"Have you heard from Steven?" I asked hopefully.

"He's sitting here with me right now" was the reply. I breathed a sigh of relief. The officer agreed to put Steven up in a hotel for the night and said he'd bring him to the motel when we arrived in Boston. I thanked him and hung up.

I ran into the Captain's office and told him the good news. Within minutes, we were on a conference call with all the officers involved in the undercover operation. We had to decide whether it was safe to reveal Liberty's cover to him.

When the call was over, I got up and went home. I had to get some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a very busy and exhausting day.

Isolation Cell

July 10, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

There was a loud knock at the door… not that we had a choice whether the person on the other side came in or not… but I guess whoever it was thought it was polite. The cell door opened and the warden came in. He was carrying chains, orange jumpsuits, and ankle bracelets. He made us strip and searched us… very thoroughly. When he was through, he allowed us to dress in the jumpsuits. I'd never been so happy to put on stiff prison-wear before.

He commanded Alison and I to kneel on our beds facing the wall. I felt shackles circle around my ankles. A minute later, I felt his arms wrapping around me. It took me a minute to realize that it was a set of belly chains. The cold cuffs bit my skin as he locked them into place. With all the chains, I didn't understand why the ankle bracelet was necessary, but he locked one on my ankle just the same. I heard him walk away and heard more cuffs locking. I could only presume that they were being put on Alison. All of a sudden, I heard footsteps leading out of the cell and the door slammed. Neither Alison nor I budged. She asked me what was going on, and I told her I didn't know.

After probably 15 minutes, the cell door opened again. The warden took Alison by the arm and Liv took me by mine. They walked us out of the cell, through all the sally-ports and loaded us into a van marked "prison transport." Before we were loaded in, Liv did a quick pat down then ran through the rules for the trip. She was so serious; acting like a drill sergeant or something. She paced back and forth in front of us and said: "I'm the judge and jury on this trip. You piss when I tell you to piss, you eat when I tell you to eat, and if you do anything stupid, you'll wish you'd never been born." It was so out of character for her to speak that way that I remember it word for word.

The van had the same metal loop on the floor that linked my shackled legs to the floor on the bus. We were buckled into our seats and Liv climbed into the driver's seat. A few minutes later another CO joined us in the van. I knew it was a man, but he was wearing a cap pulled down over his face. I silently prayed that it wasn't CO Warren. Liv plugged the address of the motel into the van's GPS and the van slowly rolled away.

Once we were past the gates, we rode in silence for what seemed like forever, then the other CO took off his hat and turned around. I inhaled sharply as I saw who it was!

"Colin!" I yelled, with a big grin stretching across my face. "This is amazing! I can't believe you're here."

"Look Tracy," he replied. He was making me nervous. I had no clue why he was calling me Tracy, but he continued: "I love you and all, but this is inappropriate." I stared at him for a minute with a look of confusion on my face, then he quickly muttered in French that there were cameras in the van and we couldn't ruin my cover… or his… or Liv's.

The ride took forever. The camp was somewhere in upstate New York. The ride was about 6 hours without traffic, but of course we hit tons of it. The cuffs and shackles were uncomfortable and the silence of the trip made it feel like days. We stopped 3 times during the trip to use the restroom. The first time, Liv loosened my cuffs and shackles slightly so they weren't biting my skin anymore, but it barely made a difference. Everywhere we stopped, we were stared at. It was like the parting of the Red Sea every time we walked into a rest stop. Everyone was afraid of us… two "teenage" girls. It was pretty ironic actually; I would have laughed if I wasn't so uncomfortable.

After about 8 hours, we arrived at a motel. Colin went into the office to check us in while Liv stayed in the van with us. A few minutes later he came back out with the key to the room and both he and Liv set about taking Alison and I from the van. We were escorted up a flight of stairs and into a motel room. I held my arms out expectantly, waiting to be uncuffed… but no one budged. After a short silence, Colin spoke. He walked towards me and wrapped me in a hug. He tenderly kissed me on the cheek then stepped back. "What's going on?" I asked.

"Liberty, you're not going to like what I have to say… but I have to say it" he took a deep breath and continued: "One of the conditions of the trip was that both of you would remain cuffed to something in the room at all times."

"Okay, I see that, but I'm a cop, so…"

"This is the part you're not going to like." He continued: "we have to keep up appearances. We never know when someone's going to knock at the door; and even with the blinds pulled and the door locked, it'd be very difficult to silently cuff you to something."

"As long as I'm here with you, I don't even care" I replied with tears in my eyes.


	19. Chapter 19: Lovingly Yours

Motel 6: Room 211

July 10, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

Liv opened a bag and pulled out two longer sets of chains… kind of like the ones you see in monster movies. She handed one to Colin and nodded to him. She walked over to Alison and Colin came over to me. He attached one end of the chain to the leg of one of the beds, and walked over to me. He pulled me in close and took my hand. Gently and slowly he attached the cuff to my wrist then quickly unlocked my cuffs. I rubbed my wrists and moved my arms around for the first time in hours. It felt good! Now that I had a free arm, I threw my arms around Colin and held on tight. I felt a tug on my arm and realized that someone was rattling the chain. We pulled apart and I saw Liv standing there with the chain in her hand.

"What?" I asked her, exasperated. "I just wanted five minutes with my fiancé."

"Too much risk right now" she replied, "later, when it's dark, you two can have your little reunion… right now, we have so much to do."

With that, she turned and began securing the room. She made sure the locks worked and she installed a security camera aimed at the door to the motel room. Meanwhile, Alison and I sat down and began talking about what we thought would happen in the next few days.

There was a knock at the door. Liv looked through the peep hole and opened the door.

"Steve!" I heard Alison cry out. She got up and raced over to the door… at least she tried to. Her chain cut her run short. He raced in to her. They embraced and both began crying. Liv spent a few minutes talking to the officer who had brought Steven over, then took his bag. Steven told Alison that her daughter was still with their foster father and Alison's grin disappeared. Alison and I looked at each other and I called Colin over. I told him what I'd overheard and asked him if there was anything we could do. He called Liv over and they debated over whether we could tell the officer Alison's story or not. Alison argued that her foster father could press charges against her simply for showing up at the funeral because he had a restraining order against her. Steven argued that Pam was in danger. Colin argued that we couldn't break my cover… and I argued that the foster father would never go along with my cover. He'd expose me in two seconds flat. Finally, the pro-tellers won.

Liv called the officer in and shut the door. We settled down and told him everything. He stopped Alison a few times to ask her questions like "can you prove she's yours" and "did you ever see him hurt your daughter" but Alison held up well. She told an even more horrific story than she'd told me. She explained that there would be hospital records somewhere because although she'd had Pam at home, she'd been rushed to the hospital later that night because she'd never delivered the afterbirth and she was in a lot of pain. She explained that when they asked her where the baby was, her foster father said she'd had a miscarriage but the remnants from the pregnancy hadn't properly come out. Steven told the officer that he and their foster mother had moved out after witnessing the father abusing Pam. He explained that their foster mother was terrified of her (now ex) husband and that she didn't feel she could tell anyone.

Once Alison explained about the restraining order, the officer came up with a plan. He called Mr. Rose and told him that his foster daughter had been brought down from the detention camp for the funeral and reading of the will. He asked that Mr. Rose and his daughter go to the courthouse in the morning for the reading of the will and explained that Alison would not speak to him if he didn't speak to her. Mr. Rose agreed and the officer left to go speak with Mrs. Rose's lawyer.

We created a plan. Liv would escort Alison to the courthouse and Colin would stay at the motel with me. We didn't want to blow my cover, and the best way for us to do that was for me not to be there. Once the details had been figured out, Steven went over to his bag and pulled a big manila folder out. He opened it and within minutes, I knew we had something big. Alison had documented every injustice, every rape, everything that felt at all wrong. I noticed that in the translated copies of the letters, Alison had often named CO Warren as the person responsible for these misdeeds. The other misdeeds were well documented, but she'd never explicitly said who was responsible for them. Her records were immaculate. We had everything we'd need to make a case… but again, this was coming straight from an inmate. We needed solid proof before finishing this case.

Steven had also written down all the details he could remember from his mother's murder. He had a license plate, a description of the car the murderer had rolled up in, and claimed he'd be able to pick out the murderer if he ever saw him again. By the time we finished going over everything it was late. The chains were moved so that Alison and I were each cuffed to the headboards of our beds. Steven crawled into Alison's bed and Alison smiled and whispered that they hadn't shared a bed since they were first reunited at the Rose's. Colin took up his post outside and Liv pulled up a spot on the floor in front of the door and laid down. Within minutes, Alison and Steven were out. A few minutes later, Liv was softly snoring. I stared at the blinds and swore I saw Colin's shadow pacing back and forth. I closed my eyes, pretended he was lying next to me, and drifted off to sleep.

Framingham District Courthouse

July 11, 2010

(Benson's POV)

The first night went off without a hitch. Colin looked exhausted when I met him at the door, but I was going to the courthouse with Alison and Steven, so I figured that as long as the blinds were closed, Colin could take a nap. Alison, Steven, and I got ready to go. I cuffed Alison and we walked out to the van. When we got to the courthouse, I escorted Alison in and looked for Officer Hays. He waved and motioned for us to follow him. We went into a small meeting room and sat down. A few minutes later the door opened and a lawyer walked in, wheeling a small television and VCR. We sat silently for a few more minutes, then the door opened once again. A burly man entered followed by a frightened looking young girl. She grinned as she entered the room and ran over to Alison and Steven. She hugged Steven and, in a loud whisper, asked "Is that really mommy?" He nodded and she raced off to Alison and climbed up on her lap. She gave her a tender kiss on the nose and grinned. I watched as a tear ran down Alison's face. I immediately realized that it was a tear of happiness.

The burly man sat in a chair on the other side of the office and shot rude glares in Alison's direction. The lawyer quickly began and explained that Mrs. Rose had a modern will; a videotape. He pressed play and a fragile woman came onto the screen of the television set.

"If you're watching this, I'm no longer here. I don't know when this video will be watched, since I can't tell the future" she softly chuckled, "but this video outlines my last wishes. I made this will in sound mind and swear that everything I say will be the full truth, no matter how hard it is to say." She took a deep breath and began. "To my darling Alison, I want to leave you two very important things. First, and I pray I'm not too late, I want to leave you your freedom. What I'm about to say is entirely truthful and I pray that the police and courts take into account everything I now explain. Alison wasn't lying when she said she attacked her foster father in self-defense. Although I was afraid to say it while I was alive, now I will shout it from the rooftops. I'm sorry Alison, but this was the only way I could be certain he couldn't hurt me for telling the truth. I'm sorry if I hurt you… I was just scared." I looked over at Alison and saw tears running down her cheeks.

"Mr. Rose abused and raped Alison, fathered her child, and then abused her daughter Pamela. I knew what was happening, but he'd threatened me and the children if we said anything. On the night that Alison assaulted Mr. Rose, I'd seen him take Pamela into the bathroom to give her a tub; but then I heard him get in with her. Alison must have heard him moaning because she burst into the bathroom and began screaming. He jumped out of the tub, wrapped himself in a towel, and chased her through the house and into the kitchen. She picked up a pan and began to hit him, but it was entirely in self defense. When he went down, Alison went into a state of shock and Mr. Rose quickly dressed and made certain that no one would believe anything Alison said. She was stoic as she was arrested and led out to the car. An officer took our statements, then an officer came running back in laughing about how Alison had finally spoken and it was all a complete crock. All I wanted to do was tell her it was the truth… but I was so frightened… I just couldn't. Now I can. This is the truth, the whole truth, and I pray that the courts reconsider and release Alison if she's still at that horrible camp… and if she's not, I pray that her record is at least cleared and that she can forgive me."

The burly man started to protest as soon as she began her testimony, but Officer Hays quickly shushed him. At this point, Officer Hays requested the tape be paused, and arrested Mr. Rose. I caught a glimpse of a grin cross Alison's face, but only for a second. The tape was resumed once Mr. Rose was cuffed and mirandized.

"The second thing I leave to you my dear Alison is custody of your daughter. I have given my lawyer a copy of a DNA test that I had done which proves you're her mother. With everything preceding this statement, I can only hope that my wishes are followed and custody is granted to her. As for my son Steven, who stood by me through everything, I leave a bank account in your name for you to finish getting your Graduate degree. I wish for the rest of my possessions to be shared between Alison and Steven. I have also left a bank account in Pamela's name with enough to get her started on a college fund." She paused once more, then with a determined look, continued: "and to my ex-husband… I leave absolutely nothing!" Looking back at the screen with loving eyes, she finished with "Lovingly yours, Mom."


	20. Chapter 20: How Hypocritical Are You?

Motel 6: Room 211

July 10, 2010

(Benson's POV)

The scene in the courthouse was actually touching. A reunion between mother and daughter, justice for the real perp, and a loving last act from a mother who truly loved her daughter. It made my heart swell… then I remembered why we were really there. I nodded at Alison and she slowly rose. I placed my hand on the small of her back and began to lead her out of the room. Her daughter linked her arm around her mother's; the only thing she could do since Alison had to remain cuffed. Her brother stepped beside her daughter and took her other hand in his. It was another touching moment for me. I had to force myself to continue leading Alison back out to the van. I loaded her into the van and her daughter jumped in and sat on the seat next to her, grinning. Her brother looked at me, then following my eyes, got into the passenger seat. We slowly drove back to the motel. I had decided that her daughter could remain with us as long as Steven did.

When we got to the hotel, we all unloaded from the van and walked back to the room in the same formation that we left the courthouse in. When we reached the room, the lights were off. I slid the key into the lock and opened the door. I looked around the room and didn't see anyone. I turned on the light and saw one of the sheets moving on the bed. A bump that I assumed was pillows began to move. I quickly pushed Pamela behind me and out the door, hoping that I was overreacting.

I cleared my throat and two startled bodies jumped up in the bed.

Motel 6: Room 211

July 10, 2010

(Liberty's POV)

It was like a dream… a beautiful dream. We hadn't had time to do this since Tracy was born. It started out with a tender kiss. We were just going to take a nap together… then I made some joke about not being able to go anywhere since my wrist was cuffed to the bedpost… and something happened. All of a sudden Collin wasn't tired anymore. God, he was an animal! Not a beast though, he was gentle and loving. Even though it had been so long, he remembered every little hidden spot on my body, and I remembered every hidden spot on his. He had just a little stubble on his cheeks. As rough as it may have felt any other day, today it tickled. I broke into a grin.

It was magical. We kept it up for what seemed like forever. We hadn't had much experience with each other since I was already pregnant by the time we had started dating, but this was the best time of all. I guess it's true… absence does make the heart grow stronger. We got up to shower well before they were supposed to come back, but when we got out, we lied back down and sure enough, we started up again.

We were snuggling under the covers when I thought I heard the door open, but when I didn't hear anyone, we kept going. All of a sudden, I heard a loud "het hem!" We both bolted up and were stunned to see Olivia standing in the doorway. She yelled at us to get dressed and slammed the door.

When she came back in, she started screaming at me. "How could you be so irresponsible? I told you to behave yourself! Someone could have come into the room! You could have blown everything!"

"But I didn't!" I screamed back. "And you should talk! What do you think I thought you were doing with my MOTHER when she brought my daughter to the camp the other day? Why do you think I faced the wall? You two were getting it on so loudly that you could've been discovered in an instant! HOW HYPOCRITICAL ARE YOU?"


End file.
